Christmas is a time for tasty treats but those tempting titbits can pose a real danger to small children.
Nuts, sweets, chunks of cheese and even fruit can cause a serious choking hazard to toddlers.
Nottingham CityCare’s community paediatric dietetic team who provide advice on food and nutrition to young people and their families are urging parents to keep festive nibbles out of the way of tiny fingers.
Dr Lisa Waddell Lead Community Paediatric Dietitian said: ”Nibbles and treats are very much a part of the festive celebrations but they are often left within easy reach of little ones who could easily choke on them.
“Things like nuts, dates, figs, sweets even healthy options like chopped carrots or grapes, can all be a choking hazard if they are swallowed without chewing. Children are usually four or five before they learn to chew and swallow properly.
“We would therefore recommend that if you are going to have toddlers around that you keep all the snack foods out of their reach. If you do have food like grapes, satsumas, etc please make sure they are cut into small pieces so they can be easily swallowed.”
Some of the festive foods to keep out or reach include:
• Dates – especially those with stones in
• Figs – cut these into small pieces for young ones
• Dried fruits such as sultanas – also need cutting up
• Nuts – all whole & large pieces of nuts and especially if they are salted, as too much salt is not good for little ones.
• Sweets – both boiled and gummy sweets can cause problems
• Cheese chunks
• Crisps, crackers
• Popcorn
• Marshmallows
• Raw fruit and veg
• Mini sausages and other savouries
Date published: 22 December 2022
